Car is having some fun with me
11-12-2018, 08:15 PM
#16
Sorry man. Keep at it and you'll get it there. From my internet vantage point, I'd say the top 10 causes of intermittent dying and no-start, in some rough order or likelihood, is something like:
1. DME relay
2. Speed/Ref sensor harness
3. Injector Harness (frayed wires just like speed/ref)
4. Rain water leaking through rusted battery box onto DME/KLR shorting it out
5. Alarm issues
6. Bad ignition switch
7. Coil issues
8. Cracked solder joints in the DME/KLR
9. Random harness issue
10. Random other issue (fuel pump, sensor freaking out, battery voltage, water in gas, etc.)
Lots of things can cause the motor to stall and not start, but things like big vacuum leaks and loose rotors and snapped timing belts don't tend to be intermittent.
1. DME relay
2. Speed/Ref sensor harness
3. Injector Harness (frayed wires just like speed/ref)
4. Rain water leaking through rusted battery box onto DME/KLR shorting it out
5. Alarm issues
6. Bad ignition switch
7. Coil issues
8. Cracked solder joints in the DME/KLR
9. Random harness issue
10. Random other issue (fuel pump, sensor freaking out, battery voltage, water in gas, etc.)
Lots of things can cause the motor to stall and not start, but things like big vacuum leaks and loose rotors and snapped timing belts don't tend to be intermittent.
I can add to that:
11 (a) - Speed/Ref sensor cable insulation melted off, bare wire shorting on random piece of metal in engine bay
11-12-2018, 09:05 PM
#17
Drifting
Thread Starter
Good tip I agree; but in my case, dies while idling and standing still, so it appears it can't be a moving or rubbing issue. Plus, while it idles, shaking those wires doesn't cause a stumble or stall.
What does this list look like for a car dying while idling and standing still? No alarm on mine
What does this list look like for a car dying while idling and standing still? No alarm on mine
11-13-2018, 11:31 AM
#19
Just a car guy
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In addition to the above: Aren't there two fuel pressure regulators on these cars? Might be worth investigating their functionality. Not sure if Clark's garage has a method for testing them, but I would certainly have a look.
11-13-2018, 01:47 PM
#20
Drifting
Thread Starter
One regulator, one "dampner". Neither shows any fuel in their vacuum lines, but yes, I am considering that one of them may be bad. However, whatever it is "fixes" itself solid for a while, which would be funny for either of those to do?
Incredibly, I don't have a means to test FP; I have a nice pro guage but the fitting is odd and no fittings people around here want to talk to me about it. Maybe I shouldn't mention that it's for a car fuel rail.
Tomorrow, I'm back to regular schedule and driving to work... we'll see what happens!
Incredibly, I don't have a means to test FP; I have a nice pro guage but the fitting is odd and no fittings people around here want to talk to me about it. Maybe I shouldn't mention that it's for a car fuel rail.
Tomorrow, I'm back to regular schedule and driving to work... we'll see what happens!
11-13-2018, 01:49 PM
#21
Drifting
Thread Starter
11-13-2018, 01:57 PM
#22
Rennlist Member
As for the fuel rail fitting, I would never recommend taking the cap nut off the end (careful not to drop the ball bearing inside), then finding a rubber fuel line that is slightly smaller than the thread on the rail, then screwing said hose onto the threads and tightening the bejesus out of it with a clamp for testing. That would be bad. That said, it wouldn't be the first thing on my list to check if the car is just abruptly dying at random times without other symptoms.
That said, it wouldn't be the first thing on my list to check if the car is just abruptly dying at random times without other symptoms.
11-13-2018, 02:01 PM
#23
Rennlist Member
Fuel pblms
Sounds like one portion of the DME relay is heating up and dropping out. After things cool off it closes and acts normally . You might want to go to the rear of the car and pull off the fuel pump leads, clean them up and re-attach. Considering the age and where th pump is located. Might be good PM.
11-13-2018, 02:11 PM
#24
Drifting
Thread Starter
As for the fuel rail fitting, I would never recommend taking the cap nut off the end (careful not to drop the ball bearing inside), then finding a rubber fuel line that is slightly smaller than the thread on the rail, then screwing said hose onto the threads and tightening the bejesus out of it with a clamp for testing. That would be bad. That said, it wouldn't be the first thing on my list to check if the car is just abruptly dying at random times without other symptoms.
That said, it wouldn't be the first thing on my list to check if the car is just abruptly dying at random times without other symptoms.But.. don't leave me hangin' like that Tom! What would be the first on your list? You're standing in front of your car.. chatting with a buddy about the weather... the hood is open and engine idling, of course. Suddenly, the engine stalls. You both stop talking. What's this? You get in.. and it starts! You get out... it stalls. At that moment, what's the first thing you do?
11-13-2018, 02:13 PM
#25
Drifting
Thread Starter
Sounds like one portion of the DME relay is heating up and dropping out. After things cool off it closes and acts normally . You might want to go to the rear of the car and pull off the fuel pump leads, clean them up and re-attach. Considering the age and where th pump is located. Might be good PM.
11-13-2018, 02:32 PM
#26
Rennlist Member
Ah, yes: I've heard of this never-used method; but my FB gauge has a tiny inlet for a tiny hose so I'd have to actually connect two lines of different sizes with some sort of adapter... maybe this most recent issue will finally prompt me to never try this
But.. don't leave me hangin' like that Tom! What would be the first on your list? You're standing in front of your car.. chatting with a buddy about the weather... the hood is open and engine idling, of course. Suddenly, the engine stalls. You both stop talking. What's this? You get in.. and it starts! You get out... it stalls. At that moment, what's the first thing you do?
But.. don't leave me hangin' like that Tom! What would be the first on your list? You're standing in front of your car.. chatting with a buddy about the weather... the hood is open and engine idling, of course. Suddenly, the engine stalls. You both stop talking. What's this? You get in.. and it starts! You get out... it stalls. At that moment, what's the first thing you do?
For your car, given the recent work, I'd change the DME relay, then wiggle the injector harness, then check for water in the DME area since this happened when it was wet outside, then check for cracked solder joints in the DME and KLR (maybe bypass the KLR if it become frequent enough for that to be informative) and check the ignition switch (jiggling the key doesn't always seem to help with diagnosing a bad one).
11-13-2018, 03:55 PM
#29
Fuel or fire, that's the problem. No fuel, fuel pump would have to stop or be intermittent to stall, caused by bad pump, dirty connections, faulty DME relay or DME, ignition switch, speed sensor or a related harness. No or intermittent spark caused by bad connections, faulty DME, ignition switch, reference sensor, coil or a related harness. Most of this stuff either works or it doesn't, seems nothing is broken or burned out. Assuming you have tried another DME relay I'm betting on a bad solder joint in the DME that works fine till it decides it quit, engine dies, the warm component (poor connection=high resistance= higher temperature= expanding the faulty joint till sufficient electrical contact is broken or else causing the associated transistor to overheat and shut down) cools, makes sufficient contact to run again till next time. JMHO
11-13-2018, 05:31 PM
#30
Just a car guy
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Correct. I had a brain fart trying to recall the damper.
I agree with most of the thoughts here, it's most likely electrical. But which component...? I have experienced DME issues (among a hundred other things) - that is sometimes very illusive.
I agree with most of the thoughts here, it's most likely electrical. But which component...? I have experienced DME issues (among a hundred other things) - that is sometimes very illusive.
